


Boot Up Some You

by GonnaWreckIt (Slickarus)



Category: Spring Awakening - Sheik/Sater, Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Genre: Aerobics, Don't blame me even though I wrote this, Hanschen is called Hans almost exclusively, Kissing, Large Koopa Men, M/M, Wreck it Ralph AU, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 17:50:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12090231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slickarus/pseuds/GonnaWreckIt
Summary: Hans has never been outside of his game before, much less visited a mysterious castle with an even more mysterious and intriguing stranger.





	Boot Up Some You

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to the Spring Awakening Discord, and to all my inner demons that pushed me this far. Enjoy!
> 
> EDIT: An online pal drew some incredible fanart so you should look at it if you want to know how Hans looks during this entire fic and you can check it out [here](https://ilovemoritzstiefel.tumblr.com/post/165365734442/thatsilvermagic-ilovemoritzstiefel-hanschen) and go give them some love while you're at it!

Hans had been training every day of his life. He had to. Each morning when the lights came on in the Arcade, he patiently waited for a kid to slide a quarter into _Get Fit 8-Bit_ , where he and the other nineteen competitors in the Aerobic Gymnastics World Championship each hoped for their chance to be chosen. If he was lucky, he’d get picked and could compete for Team Germany in front of a crowd of cheering fans as he executed perfect kicks and stretches (or not so perfect, if the player wasn’t very experienced). If he wasn’t, he’d bounce from one foot to the other in the background as one of the other competitors did their routine and clapped along. His favorite, though, was when there were two players, so he and his partner, Thea, could do aerobic gymnastics in synchronized perfection (again, depending on the ability on the player. There had been plenty of times where Hans had repeatedly fallen on his face because the kid was rhythmically challenged). Eventually he’d get a gold medal, and wave his arms triumphantly as confetti poured down and victory music played.

This was how the game system worked. Hans had no problem with it. He would say that he was perfectly content with his life every day. After the lights turned off and they were free to go back to the apartments where they spent the night, he’d do a cool-down workout, take a quick shower, and eat a protein-rich dinner before promptly passing out. He didn’t see the appeal that all his friends found in journeying out through Game Central Station and visiting other consoles, plus he was so tired that he didn’t think he could handle leaving even if he wanted to. As such, he’d never left his own game, perfectly content to remain in the system forever, unchanging.

* * *

“Hanschen, you have to come, it’s my birthday!” Thea whined into his ear as he swapped his sweatbands for a fresh pair. He rolled his eyes at the cutesy nickname she insisted on calling him since she was two whole pixels taller than he was.

“It’s all of our birthdays,” he shot back. “We’re all a part of the same code.”

“Then it’s even more of a celebration! Everyone’s going to be there.”

“Everyone except me,” he corrected. Thea moved to block his exit from the locker room. “Let me pass!”

“I think you’re afraid of what’s out there,” she accused. “Since you’ve never left the console.”

“For your information, I _have,_ I just choose not to.” She shook her head.

“I’ve known you your whole life, and not once have you left these doors.” Her face softened. “There’s nothing that’ll hurt you, I promise. Just one night?” Hans could see that he would never win this fight, so he threw his hands up in defeat.

“Fine. If only to prove to you that I’m not afraid of anything.”

The truth was, Hans started to feel a little nervous as the twenty of them loaded onto the express train. It wasn’t that he’d never seen another avatar before; plenty came to visit _Get Fit 8-Bit_ to participate in Anya’s weekly classes. The problem was that he was entering a world with new rules, rules that he hadn’t been carefully studying in all the years that he’d been alive. Luckily, Thea sat next to him on the train and kept looking over to reassure him that they would be okay. Thea went out all the time. Everything would be okay.

* * *

 

Everything was not okay. Hans took maybe 1 second to look around when they got off the train, and suddenly he was swept up in the gigantic crowd, surrounded by brightly colored bytes.

“Thea,” he called out to no avail. Whether or not she’d noticed his disappearance didn’t really matter; he had to find some direction. He helplessly looked up at the unfamiliar signs for various games that loomed above him. “Let’s get fit,” he muttered to himself, trying to regain some sense of control. “For Team Germany.” But no clarity came, and he found that he had to keep moving or else he was getting jostled in the shoulders (and knees) by the sprites passing by him that knew so much more than he did about this place.

After a few moments of general panic, he tried looking up at the red-on-black displays that led to the various games, hoping to see the familiar glow of his game looking back at him. Or wherever his friends were going for the party. What had they said? He needed space to think. To breathe. To hell with it, he decided, and walked through the first archway he could see without bothering to look at the name of the game. He figured even _Space Invader_ would be quiet this time of day.

After a short train ride, he hopped off at the empty station and started walking down a pleasant brick pathway through vibrant green bushes. Soft, peaceful music was playing, and Hans realized this was just what he needed: a breather from the bustle of the station. He’d take a walk for a bit in this cheerful game, and then head back to try and find his friends. After a few minutes of walking, he happened upon a rather impressive-looking castle with huge imposing columns and pointed spires. He guessed that in the daytime, it served as this game’s villain’s lair, but in the evening light, the torches gave it a warm, welcoming glow. He walked across the moat to the big gate and knocked.

“Hello?” He heard his voice echo down the long, dark corridor that stretched ahead of him behind the crossed iron bars. “Is anyone home?” He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he heard a deep rumbling coming from within the castle. “Oh, wait, there’s a doorbell.” He rang the tiny doorbell that was barely noticeable and waited as he heard a loud clang ring out through the castle. After a few seconds, the iron portcullis begin to rise until Hans was able to slip under it. As soon as he stepped onto the stone floor, it began groaning under him and started to lift him up towards the ceiling. He looked around, concerned as he rose quickly that he’d be crushed against the stones above him. At the second he thought he was done for, the ceiling stone slid aside and he rose through the roof to the top of the castle.

He was in a round room with a domed ceiling and many long windows. On the other side of the room stood a figure hidden by the shadows cast by the torches on the walls. A huge, looming figure, with glinting spikes and claws. The figure slowly turned towards Hans, who felt his knees shaking below him and worried that he wouldn’t be able to stand - much less compete in the Aerobic Gymnastics World Championship tomorrow!

“Who are you?” Hans managed to say, although his rapid heart rate was making the blood rush through his ears at an alarming level. The figure paused in its turned.

“Wait,” it said in a deep, gravelly voice. “Who are _you?”_ It whirled around all the way and Hans could see it in its full glory - from its bushy red eyebrows to its leather cuffs to its yellow scales. Its face wasn’t terrifying or poised in a fanged snarl, but inquisitive.

“Hanschen,” he responded, then realized what he’d said. “Wait, no, I-”

“Hanschen,” the beast repeated, and Hans found himself not minding the nickname so much anymore. “Where are you from?”

 _“Get Fit 8-Bit,”_ he said, gaining confidence. The creature stared at him a moment longer, and then began to laugh deep in its throat. “What’s going on?”

“That explains your getup,” it gestured to Hans’s skintight red spandex leotard and his matching sweatbands. Hans felt himself blush.

“Well, what do you think _you’re_ wearing?” It paused.

“Me? I’m Bowser, King of the Koopa Kingdom. I wear whatever I want.” Hans snorted.

“Yeah, and I guess that means it’s always casual Friday in the Koopa Kingdom?” Instead of getting angry, Bowser just laughed some more.

“You’re funny, Hanschen,” he said. “But have you never heard of this game?”

“No,” he admitted. “This is actually my first time out of the console.”

“You’re joking.” Hans shook his head.

“It’s my friend’s birthday - well, I guess it’s my birthday too-”

“Happy birthday!”

“Thanks. Anyway, she wanted us to go have a party, so she dragged me along but I got lost. I just came here to clear my head.”

“Why did you come to my castle?”

“I can’t really explain it. It looked inviting.” Bowser cocked his head to the side, reminding Hans of large reptilian puppy.

“Not many say that about my castle. Most find it threatening, even terrifying. There are horrible traps inside meant to stop men from entering.”

“Then why did you let me up?”

“You rang the doorbell. Mario doesn’t even know there is one.”

“Well, thank you for not letting me die, but I need to find my friends and get back to my own game.” Bowser’s face fell for a second, but then a smile returned to it.

“Why don’t I help you? I know my way around quite well.” Hans grinned, excited to spend more time with the King.

“That would be incredible.”

“Do you know where the party is?”

“I can’t remember, they kept talking about root beer, though.” Bowser nodded sagely.

 _“Tapper,_ I’ll bet. I’ll take you, so long as you let me buy you a drink.”

“That sounds fair.”

Walking through Game Central Station with Bowser was a completely different experience from Hans’s first time. The other characters clearly recognized the King, and whether they feared or respected him, they cleared the way for Bowser and Hans to walk freely through the station.

“Is it always like this?” Hans asked in wonder.

“I can’t say being a villain doesn’t have its perks. It can get incredibly lonely, though.” Hans nodded, thinking of all the long nights he’d spent in his room. Maybe shutting himself off had just been easier. Maybe he’d been craving companionship this whole time.

“There you are,” Bowser said, interrupting his thoughts. Hans’s gaze followed Bowser’s pointed claw to the sign that read ‘TAPPER’. “I guess this is goodbye.”

“Wait, you said you’d come with me. Buy me a drink, remember?” Bowser shook his head.

“You don’t want all of your friends to see you with me.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t have a good reputation here, Hanschen. You don’t understand because your game has no villain, but I’ll just drag you down.” Hans shook his head.

“Fine then,” he said. “If you won’t come in with me, I’ll stay out here with you.” Bowser’s eyebrows shot up.

“Huh?”

“Bowser, from the moment I saw you, I wasn’t afraid. I gather that doesn’t happen to you very much. I can see that you and I have something special, even if we’ve only known each other for a short time.”

“You feel it too?” Without another word, Hans reached up, up, up, until he could touch Bowser’s large face, and pulled him down to meet his lips. He could hear the shocked sounds of the passersby that were no doubt judging him, but in the moment, he didn’t care at all. He felt Bowser’s muscular arms surround him as he was lifted in the air for the second time that night. Bowser’s mouth was much bigger than his, but Hans still found himself drawn to it like a magnet, exploring Bowser’s rough lips with his own. His fingers weaved themselves into Bowser’s red locks and the kiss deepened. Hans’s heart was hammering in his chest, and he knew in that instant that he had fallen for the Koopa King, and fallen hard.

When they finally pulled apart, Bowser gently lowered Hans to the ground.

“Now do you believe I care what my friends think?” Bowser shook his head, still shocked from the passionate kiss. “Good.” Hans held his hand out and Bowser took it in his larger, but still tender, paw. “Because I’d like to take you up on that drink offer.”

_To be continued..._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you liked this, I'm definitely planning to do more works in this series. Please leave comments/kudos and let me know what you thought!
> 
> (and if you want to read something a little less safe for work...you should check out my other work under this pseud...)


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